A firefighter's coat or jacket conventionally includes a chin strap member which protects the neck region of the firefighter from high heat exposure. The chinstrap is conventionally attached to a turned-up collar of the coat or jacket.
Problems exist with regard to the conventional chinstrap. Individual firefighter's have various neck diameters. Chin structure and configuration of firefighters varies significantly. It has been difficult or impossible to provide an adequately protective chinstrap which fits all firefighters comfortably. If a chinstrap is too wide for a firefighter, the chinstrap is uncomfortable. If the chinstrap is too narrow, the chinstrap permits an unprotective gap in the firefighter's chin and neck region. It has been necessary to compromise between a wide chinstrap, for maximum protection, and a narrow chinstrap which may not properly protect the chin and neck region of the firefighters.
Also, a conventional chinstrap is constructed of good firefighting protection material, but the chinstrap is abrasive and uncomfortable rubbing occurs between the firefighter's neck and the chinstrap. If the chinstrap is reduced in dimensions so that it does not rub against 25 the firefighter's neck or chin, the chinstrap may be too small to provide proper protection to the firefighter's neck and chin region.
An object of this invention is to provide a universally adapting chin and neck protective member or chinstrap for a firefighter's coat in which the chin and neck protective member properly covers and protects the neck and chin region of any firefighter who wears the coat, regardless of the shape and size of the firefighter's neck and chin region.
Another object of this invention is to provide such a chin and neck protective member or chinstrap which is comfortable when used by any firefighter who wears the coat, regardless of the shape and size of the firefighter's neck and chin region.
Another object of this invention is to provide such a chinstrap which has good firefighting protective qualities.
Another object of this invention is to provide a chinstrap for a firefighter's coat which chinstrap properly and completely protects the chin and neck region of the firefighter but which does not interfere with the firefighter's mask or facepiece.
Another object of this invention is to provide such a chinstrap which can be easily and readily constructed at relatively low costs.
Other objects and advantages of the firefighter's chinstrap of this invention reside in the construction of parts, the combination thereof, the method of production and the mode of use, as will become more apparent from the following description.